Engine-starting mechanism



Sept. 6 1927.

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Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM A. .CHRYST, OF DAYTON, OHIO,

AssIGNon, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, r

DELCO--REMY CORPORATION, OF DAYTON, 01110,. A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

' ENGINE-STARTING MECHANISM.

Application filed April .7,

This invention relates to starting systems for -internal-combustion engines and particularly wherein the starting device is normally disconnected from the engine gear, and is manually connectedwith the engine gear and rendered operative to crank the engine.

The principal objects of the present in- -ven'tion are to improve the mounting of the manually operated mechanism relative to the motor housing, the operating parts of the motor and an auotomobile body to render the same readilyaccessible, and by the construction of the motor parts to prevent the lubricant from the operating parts of the engine enterin the motor windings, the form of the invention illustrated and described being adapted particularly to a vertical mounting on top of the flywheel housing of the engine with the motor control located in the central forward part of the drivers compartment of a motor vehicle.

Fig. 1 is a side view of an engine, showing a starting device embodying the present invention applied thereto Fig. 2' is a topv plan View of the starting motor;

Fig. 3' is a sectional view taken on the the the

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3';

Fig. .5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2;

F 6 is a sectionalview taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view line 77 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is an end view of the motor pinion and shell. k

The disclosed embodiment of the present invention provides a housing for enclosing the motor and operating mechanism, with a foot pedal tormoving the operating machanism and the motor pinion exposed; This housing includes a motor frame adapted to be attached to an engine, with the motor pinion housed by the engine frame and located adjacent an engine gear. This housing includes also a cover for the motor frame which supports pedal operated mechanism for shifting the pinion and for controlling the taken on the a motor switch mounted on the motor frame.

surrounds the hub of lever 54 1923. Serial No. 630,637.

The cover and mechanism can be removed as a complete sub-assembly from the motor irame without disturbing or disassembling the motor.

Referring to the drawings, the housing for an engine starter, designated as a Whole protrudes through floor board 23 and provides a mounting for accelerator pedal 25, Iwhich is connected to the throttle valve of carburetor 26 by means of lever 27 and li nl: 28.

Motor frame 30 isseparated intotwo compartments by Wall 31'which is apertured to receive bearing 31. cover 32 supports bearing 83. Armature shaft 84 is supported by bearings 31 and 33 and carries armature 35 and commutator 36. Felt washer is held in place by a retaining plate 88, provided with an oil hole 39 for lubricating bearing The motor switch includes brush arms and 46 supported by motor end frame or cover 32, and brushes 47 and 48' attached to arms and 46 by screws49 and 50respectively. Brush arm 45 is pivotally mounted on stud 51 which is grounded on end cover 32. Arm 45 is part of a bell crank lever 54 whose other arm -52 supports a roller 52. Pin 53 is mounted on end cover 32 and pin 54 is mounted on brush arm 45. These two pins serve to retain coil spring 55, which and yieldingly presses brush 47 toward comn'iutator 36.- Normally, brush 47 .is out of contact with communtator'36. Brush arm 46 is insulatedfrom end cover 32 byinsulating strips 56 and- 57. Brush 48 is held under yielding pressure against commutator 36 in the same manner as that just described in connection with brush 47. Conducting strips 58 and 59 connect pin 62 with bolt 63 having connection with one terminal 64 of field coils 65, the otherterminal 66 being connected with terminalbolt 67, insulated from motor frame 30. One terminal of a battery (not shown) is connected to terminal 67., the

other battery terminal being ground-ed to the engine frame.

Motor frame 30 is provided with a compartment 30, cast integrally therewith, which encloses the pinion shifting mechanism to be described hereinafter.

Shaft 34: is splined at and has a reduced portion 71. Sleeve 72 slidably tits on reduced portion 71 and is provided with internal teeth which engage with splines 70. Frame 30 is apertured to receive shell 73 slidable on sleeve 72, and a collar 7-1 which is riveted to sleeve 72. Shell 78 is provided with an outwardly extending annular flange 73 which is provided with ears 75 for retaining a baffle plate 76 in position. This plate 7 6 is perforated as shown at '77 to allow the teeth of pinion T8 to pass lengthwise thercthrough, so that shell 73 is directly driven by the teeth of pinion 78 (see Fig. 8). Coiled spring 79 is located inside of shell 73 and presses against flanged collar 80, slidable within shell 73, which abuts against the end face of pinion 78. This pinion 78 is secured to or formed intergrally with sleeve 7 2 and is adapted to engage an engine flywheel gear 81 located in crank case 22. A disc 82 of friction material cooperates with the fianged portion 73 of shell 73 and motor frame 30 to provide a motor brake. Disc 82 floats between the motor frame and flange 73" during cranking.

The starter housing includes also cover attached to frame 30 by bolts 91, and is provided with apertured bosses 91 to receive hollow shaft 93 in which shaft 91 is journalled. Levers 95 and 96 are 'pivotally mounted on shaft 93 and carry on their inner ends lugs 97 and 98 engaging with an in wardly extending flange 99 of shell 73 lo cated in compartment 3. The outer ends of levers 95 and 96 are connected by rod 100. Rod 101, interposed between levers 95 and 96, serves to hold one end of coil. spring 102, the other end of said spring abutting against rib 103. This spring 102 surrounds hollow shaft 93 and acts as a return means for levers 95 and 96.

Cover 90 is provided with a slot 110, whose parallel side walls are apertured to receive a pin 111 which supports a lever 112, one end of which passes through a slot 11.3 in cover 90 and has attached thereto the foot pedal 11 1. Interposed between foot pedal 114 and cover 90 is a coil spring 115 which tends to return lever 112 to normal position.

The opposite end of lever 112 is provided with a camming surface 116 which cooperates with roller 52 to maintain brush 47 normally out of contact with commutator 36. Camming surface 117 of lever 112 cooperates with rod to effect enmeshment of motor pinion 78 with engine gear 81.

The operation of this starting device is as follows:

lVhen pressure is exerted on foot pedal 114 against tension of spring 115, the camming surface 117, cooperating with rod 100, rotates levers 95 and 96 on shaft 93, causing lugs 97 and 98, riding in grooved portion 99, to move shell 73 and consequently pinion 78 into enmeshment with the flywheel gear 81. It will, of course, be understood that pinion 78 will readily mesh with gear 81 if the pinion teeth are in register with the inter-tooth spaces of the gear.

At the same time that the enmeshment of pinion 78 and gear 81 has taken place, the cumming surface 116 of lever 112 has moved out of the path of movement of roller 52, permitting brush 17 to move, by the action of spring 55, into contact with commutator 36 to complete the motor circuit.

The operator will maintain pressure on starting pedal 1141- until the engine has become self-operative, at which time the pressure will be released, and lever 112 returned by spring to normal position against a stop 119. Rod 100 being released, the spring 102 will return levers 95 and 96 to normal position, thus drawing pinion 78 out of mesh with gear 81.

Should the engine fail to start while the motor pinion is connected with the flywheel gear, the motor circuit can be disconnected before the pinion is withdrawn, thereby relieving tooth pressure due to motor torque, whereby to relieve the return spring 102 of unnecessary friction load. This is accomplished l'iecause the return movement of camming surface 116 will cause brush +1? to be lifted out of contact with commutator 36 and break the motor circuit as soon as the operatofs foot is removed from pedal 11%.

Should the teeth of pinion 7 8 and gear 81 be out of register and fail to mesh, the spring 79 will be compressed, due to abutting of the end faces of pinion 78 and gear 81, thus permitting the motor circuit to be completed and rotating pinion 78. Then as soon as the teeth of pinion 78 and gear 81 are in register, the spring 79 will amp the pinion 78 into mesh with gear 81.

During cold weather it often times happens that the engine fails to start upon being cranked by the starting device, or after starting it may operate for a few explosions and then stop. This will require the driver to repeat the starting operation. It will be appreciated that when the pinion 78 has been demeshed from gear 81 and the motor circuit has been broken, the motor pinion 78 will have tendency to continue spinning for a short time before coming to rest. Then should the starting operation be attempted immediately after the pinion 78 has been withdrawn from the gear 81, the rotation of the pinion 7 8 will add to the difficulty of re-einneshn'rent with gear 81. To avoid this condition, the brake disc 82, flange 73 and frame 30 provide a brake for the motor for li i' llO LII

"quicklyreducing the speedo' f rotation of pinion 78. Rod l OO'has sufficient clearance with camming surface 117 atthis time so that spring 102 will cause the-lever 95 to cation, as would be the case if the starter mechanism were exposed to splash lubrication within the englne crank case 22.

Plate 76 serves as a'bafile plate to prevent an excessive amount of oil from splashing up into the pinion shifting compartment and into the motor by the action of the engine flywheel. It will be apparentthat during the cranking operation, at which time the disc 82 s not acting as a seal, the

oil which has entered the pinion shifting compartment and motor will drain down between the outer surface of shell 73 and the adjacent wall of the motor frame 30, due to the slightclearancebetween the two, andby force of gravity drop back into the engine crank case. The spline 7O also tends to conduct the oilaway from the motor.

An oil foo; is thrown up against the outer surface of wall 31, and some of the oil condenses on the spline and is carried into the bearing 31. v

It should be noted that substantially the only exposed parts of the structure are the motor pinion, motor brake,and starter pedal, all other parts being contained within the starter housing. j

The installing of the starter upon an engine is exceedingly simple. But three bolts are-used to attach the starter housing "to the engine frame and there is but one motor terminal to be connected witl-i a'storage battery. i

bearings, the motor 'pinionand pinion shiftng mechanism being mounted on the projecting end of the motor shaft.

The motor switch is incorporated in the starter, dispensing with a'separate switch; The starter pedal is located in a convenientposition in the automobile for operation by foot pressure, and being centrally located within the drivers compartment, is equally convenient regardless of whether the automobile is of the right or left hand drive type. The starter housing provides also a convenient support for a throttle or accelerator pedal and pedalshaftconnected with an engine. carbureton- The starter is readily accessible forremoval ,or inspection of parts.

The starter com-prises three unitary assemblies, namely, a motor assembly with a mechanism lifting Switch, a pinion with a jump spring and brake assembly, and a control assembly mounted on'the cover ofth'e starter. In disassembling the engine starter, the cover is first removed, thus removing .the controlling mechanism as a unit, leaving the jump springand brake assembly and motor assembly. Then the pinion with the jump spring and brake assembly are removed as a unit, leaving the motor assembly withthe brush lifting switch. To assemble the engine starter, it is only necessary to re-' verse the order of operations just named.

The vbrush lifting switch is mounted on an end cover of the motor, so that the same may be removed as'a unit with theend cover.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described constitutes a preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it is to'be understood thatother formsmight be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What I claim is as follows:

1. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame mounted on an engine; of a pinion connected with the motor and movable into engagement with an enginegear; a pinion shifting lever pivoted on the frame; a motor switch mechanism mounted on the frame and including a co1ninu tator and a brush of said motor, said brush being mounted on a movable arm; a foot pedal support-ed only by the frame for directly engaging the shifting lever .to shift the same inone direction only and for engaging the movable brush arm; a spring for returning the foot pedal independently of the pinion shifting lever; and a spring for disengaging the pinion from the engine gear.

2.111 an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame mounted on "an engine; of a pinion connected with the motor 1 lel to the axis of the pinion; a motor switch The motor shaft is provided with but two -in a plane at right angles to the axis of the pinion; a foot pedal supported only by the frame and rotatable in a plane parallel-to the axis of the pinion and directly engaging the pinion shifting lever to shiftthe same in "one; directions only and for engaging the movable brush arm; a spring for returning the footpedal independently of the pinion shifting lever; and a spring for disengaging the pinion from the engine gear.

3. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor havinga frame mounted on an engine; of a pinion connected with the motor I and movable into engagement with an engine gear; a pinion shifting lever mounted on the frame; a motor switch mechanism mounted on t-heframe; foot pedal means entirely support-ed by the frame and movable in one direction to close the switch and to engage the pinion shifting lever; a spring for returning the foot pedal independently of the pinion shifting lever; and a spring for disengaging the pinion from the engine gear.

4. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame adapted to be mounted on an engine and having an opening in a side thereof; a motor pinion; means accessible through the opening and operative to transmit motion axially to the pinion; a cover for the opening; a motor switch mounted on the motor f "time; and mechanism enclosed by and supported wholly by the cover for operating the switch and said motion transmitting means, and removable with the cover sidewise from the frame, while the pinion and switch remain assembled with the frame.

5. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame adapted to be mounted on an engine frame and having an opening in a side thereof and adjacent one end of the ari'nature; a motor pinion; means accessible through said opening and operative to transmit motion axially to the pinion; a motor switch including a motor commutator adjacent the other end of the armature, and a motor brush mounted on a movable arm which is accessible through a second opening in the motor frame; a cover for said openings; and mechanism enclosed by and supported wholly by the cover for operating the brush arm and said motion transmitting means, and removable with the cover sidewise from the frame, while the pinion and switch remain assembled with the frame.

6. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a shaft and a frame adapted to be mounted on an en ine and having an opening in a side thereof, and an opening in an end wall thereof coaxial with the motor shaft which extends through said end opening and terminates exteriorly of the frame; a motor pinion slidably connected with the shaft; means slidable along the motor shaft and operable to transmit motion axially to the pinion, said motion transmitting means being removable from the shaft through the end opening and accessible through the side opening; a cover for the side opening; and mechanism enclosed by and supported wholly by the cover for operatingthe mot-ion transmitting means antl removable sidewise with the cover from the frame, while the pinion and motion transmitting means remain assembled with the frame.

7. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a shaft and a frame adapted to be mounted on an engine and having an opening in a side thereof, and an opening in an end wall thereof coaxial with the motor shaft which extends through said end opening and terminates exteriorly of the frame; a motor pinion slidably connected with the shaft; a shifting member surrounding the shaft and connected with the pinion and removable from the shaft through said frame end opening, and accessible through the side opening; and a shifting lever detachably supported by the frame and having a part cooperating with said member, said member permitting removal of said lever through said side opening while the member and pinion remain assembled upon the shaft, and said lever, while assembled upon the frame, retaining the n'len'iber and pinion upon the shaft.

8. In an engine starter, the combination with an electric motor having a frame; of means for connecting the motor with an engine; a motor switch mechanism; a cover for said motor frame and switch mechanism and a starting lever supported within and by said cover and adapted to simultaneously operate the switch and the means for connecting the motor and engine together, said starting lever having a pedal portion located outside the cover, the starting lever and the cover of the motor frame being removable together from the frame in assembled relation while the frame and connecting means remain assembled.

9. In an engine starter, the combination with an electric motor having a frame; of means for connecting the motor with an engine; a motor switch mechanisn'i having a movable member; a removable cover for said motor; and a starting lever mounted within said cover, one end of said lever protruding through the cover and having a starting pedal attached thereto, said lever having cammin surfaces for operating the first named means and the movable switch member, the starting lever and the cover of the motor frame being removable together from the frame in assembled relation While the frame and connecting means remain assembled.

10. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame mounted on an engine; of a pinion connected with the motor and movable into engagement with an engine gear; a floating brake annular disc; a pinion shifting device including a member engaged by the teeth of the pinion and having a retaining flange for retaining the brake disc; and means for demeshing the pinion and engine gear and causing the brake disc to contact with the flange and motor frame to brake the motor.

11. In an engine starter, the combination I with a motor having a frame mounted on an engine; of a pinion connected with the motor and movable into engagement with an engine gear; a pinion shifting device extending through an aperture in said frame and provided with a flange; a floating brake disc in terposed between the flange and motor frame providing a seal to prevent access to the interior of said frame through said aperture; and means for demeshing the pinion and engine gear and applying the brake.

12. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor; a shaft driven thereby; a pinion slidably connected with said shaft and movable endwise into engagement with an engine gear; a pinion brake including a movable part operated by the pinion and a stationary part provided by the motor frame; a pedal operated member for shifting the pinion; means for transmitting motion from said member to the pinion including a 3 spring; and means including said spring for yieldingly applying braking pressure between said brake parts.

18. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame mounted on an engine and a motor shaft; a pinion connected with the shaft and movable into engagement with an engine gear; a pinion shifting lever; a spring surrounding the shaft for shifting the pinion; a member surrounding the spring and adapted to be engaged by the springand pinion shifting lever and having a connection with the pinion for rotating the member by the pinion; and a floating brake disc adapted to cooperate with a stationary braking surface on said frame and a braking surface on said member.

14. In an engine starter, the combination with a motor having a frame mounted on an engine and having an aperture therein; of a pinion connected with the motor and movable into engagement with an engine gear; and a pinion shifting device adapted to extend through the aperture in said frame and mitted to enter said aperture only during the cranking operation of the engine starter.

15. In an engine starter, a motor having a shaft and a frame supporting the shaft and having an end wall provided with an aperture concentric with the shaft and through which the shaft extends; a pinion slidable on said shaft and located outside said end wall a sleeve connected with the pinion and extending through said aperture and splined to said shaft; a collar fixed to the inner end of said sleeve; a tubular member surround ing said sleeve and provided with an outwardly extending annular flange adjacent the pinion and outside said frame end wall, and with an inwardly extending annular flange adjacent said collar but spaced therefrom to provide a groove; pedal operated shifting means extending into said groove; a spring located within the tubular member and between the pinion and said inwardly extending annular flange; means for drivingly connecting the pinion teeth with the outwardly extending annular flange; and a brake disc located between the last mentioned flange and the frame end wall and supported by said tubular member.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

WILLIAM A. CHRYST. 

